Witch Hunt

Witch Hunt

Narrated by Sean Penn, this documentary tells the shocking true story of John Stoll, who like many other men and women, found himself caught up in a spiral of fear, ignorance and hysteria.

On the night John Stoll was woken from his sleep and carted off to jail, his attitude seemed insouciant. “Aren’t you worried?” His lawyer wondered. “Hell no, I ain’t worried,” John answered. “I didn’t do this. You can’t convict me of something I didn’t do.”

These working class parents were rounded up with little or no evidence, charged and convicted of almost unimaginable crimes. All crimes against children. After years, and for some decades, they would finally taste freedom again, but their lives and their children’s lives would be forever changed. Witch Hunt reveals the real crime in this case, it wasn’t this children who were apparently abused, but the crime of coercion. Watch as the film presents the child witnesses who were forced to lie on on the witness stand as they describe scary sessions with police officers in which they were told about sexual experiences that happened to them. These fabricated stories led to many convictions, and many were the parents of who were put behind bars.

A really good film and yet another indictment of the American justice system and the industrial prison complex. Bravo to Sean Penn and those who redefended the wrongly accused at their re-trials Those people have had their lives stolen by people ( prosecutors, sheriffs, detectives) still in office in Bakersfield. Those public officials are the true criminals.

Wow!! Sean Penn, you have out-done your skills with this piece. My hat is off to you! Fucken eh. Far too many injustices in the penal system. Here’s where it hits home… When Mr. John Stolls’ said that people told him ‘we know you couldn’t have done this, anything you need we’re here for you’. ……. And the man walk out of prison ALONE !! Heartwrenching. In one word.